Spicherhalde Alpkäse

Every summer, the Vogel family leaves their home on the Austria/Germany border with their small herd of Brown Swiss cows, and takes them through the Allgäu Alps to their summer home in Bavaria. There, at 4800 feet, the cows graze on summer grasses and alpine flowers. The Vogels use this rich, flavorful milk to make just two wheels of cheese each day. Using homemade rennet, curds are formed in traditional copper vats and then lifted and pressed into forms. The wheels are then moved to a brine bath for three days after which they are placed on wooden shelves to age for a year or longer.

The resulting Spicherhalde Alpkäse is an exquisite cheese with delicate floral notes, an earthy, smoky nuttiness and a lingering buttery finish.